Lotte, Hanwha, Doosan chiefs jump on popularity of KBO League to enhance corporate image

Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn greets the crowd during the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) League game between the Hanwha Eagles and the Kiwoom Heroes at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, May 10. Courtesy of Hanwha Eagles

Chairmen of Lotte Group, Hanwha Group and Doosan Group have all been visiting baseball stadiums in recent days to watch their teams’ games as a way to bolster their corporate image among fans, according to industry officials, Sunday.

Owners of chaebol, large Korean conglomerates run by an individual or family, who own baseball teams, had been infrequent visitors to ballparks, but after Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin, who acquired SSG Landers from SK Group in 2021, built a positive image by frequently visiting his team’s games, the owners of Korea’s most popular professional sports team, have been visiting the stadiums to meet and greet fans and interact with them.

“Baseball team owners have recently been visiting ballparks to interact with fans. Given that the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) League is the most popular professional sport here, their visits help a building positive and friendly image for their baseball teams and the companies,” an industry official working in a chaebol here said on condition of anonymity.

Interestingly, every game the KBO team owners visited this season has been won by their teams, which makes fans naturally chant the owners' names at the ballparks.

Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin watches a Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) League game between the Lotte Giants, of which he is the owner, and the Doosan Bears at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of Lotte Giants

Hanwha Chairman Kim Seung-youn visited the Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon to watch two Eagles games this year. During his first visit on March 29 — the Eagles' first home game of the season — he watched them play KT Wiz and enjoyed the 3:2 win.

The second time he visited the baseball stadium was on May 10, 42 days later, when he joined about 500 employees of Hanwha Group at the stadium to watch the Eagles defeat Kiwoom Heroes 5:4.

After the game, fans at the ballpark chanted the Eagles owner's name, and the chairman has come to be regarded as a lucky man who always brings victory when he visits.

Park Jeong-won, chairman of Doosan Group and owner of the Doosan Bears, left, claps his hands during a Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) League game between the Bears and the Lotte Giants at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, Saturday. Courtesy of Doosan Bears

Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin and Doosan Group Chairman Park Jeong-won also joined their teams’ baseball games during the weekend series held in Seoul and shared the joy of their teams’ victories with fans, respectively.

On Friday, the Lotte Giants owner watched the Giants beat the Bears 5:1 at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, and the next day, the Doosan Bears owner did the same, watching the Bears win 8:3.

Lotte Group said that the chairman urged the players to show their unwavering commitment and fighting spirit to the fans, saying, “We can never give up as long as we have the constant love and passionate support of our fans.”

The Doosan Group chairman is also known for his love of baseball, visiting the Bears’ training camp every year to show his support for the players. Saturday’s visit to Jamsil Baseball Stadium was the chairman’s second visit to the ballpark, following his first visit on March 29.

The KBO League is about 30 percent of the way through its regular season schedule, with some speculating that the league could surpass the 9 million annual attendance mark for the first time in its 43-year history.

The KBO, the league's organizer, said Thursday that 3.05 million fans have attended games after 217 games so far this season, the second-fastest pace following the 3 million mark after 190 games in 2012.